DA leader Mmusi Maimane says former SABC COO Hlaudi Motsoeneng has flipped the bird at South Africa\u2019s legal system.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has sent the middle finger to the judicial system. The courts don\u2019t matter, and if the courts don\u2019t matter it is the destruction of democracy in South Africa,\u201d Maimane told party members and reporters outside the broadcaster\u2019s offices on Monday.<\/p>\n
Maimane said people couldn\u2019t sit at home and act like everything was okay, because if Motsoeneng could not obey the law in the country, then no one would.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of DA members gathered outside the SABC offices in Auckland Park on Monday morning to demand Motsoeneng\u2019s removal.<\/p>\n
The members sang and chanted \u201cFokof Hlaudi\u201d and \u201cHlaudi must go\u201d.<\/p>\n
Some held up had placards that read \u201cHlaudi \u2013 Zuma\u2019s puppet\u201d and \u201cBan Hlaudi\u2019s R11.4 million bonus\u201d. One member brought along two of her children who also held placards.<\/p>\n
They handed over a memorandum to the broadcaster and Maimane gave the SABC 72 hours to respond.<\/p>\n
Last month, the Supreme Court of Appeal rejected Motsoeneng\u2019s bid for leave to appeal against a November 2015 Western Cape High Court ruling declaring his appointment as COO irrational and setting it aside.<\/p>\n
This came after Public Protector Thuli Madonsela found, in a report released in February 2014, that Motsoeneng had lied about his qualifications when he applied for the position of COO, that he hiked his salary from R1.5 million to R2.4 million in one year, and purged senior staff.<\/p>\n
Last week, the SABC announced that Motsoeneng was back in his old job as group executive of corporate affairs.<\/p>\n
It was also reported last week that Motsoeneng had allegedly organised himself a massive R11.4 million bonus.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite having two masters degrees, I could not be able to find a legal way of paying myself a bonus of R11.4 million,\u201d Maimane said on Monday.<\/p>\n
He said Motsoeneng did not just magically appear at the SABC.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom day one, Hlaudi was given a mandate: do number one\u2019s [President Jacob Zuma\u2019s] bidding and you\u2019ll have the power of being number one at the SABC,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Cope leader Mosiuoa Lekota said the fight for freedom from apartheid also meant a fight for freedom of speech.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe struggle took us to Robben Island. We thought when freedom comes the voices of our people would be heard without restriction,\u201d Lekota said.<\/p>\n
He said the SABC was now in the hands of a president who had broken his oath of office and did not represent the people of SA.<\/p>\n
Lekota said he had first met Motsoeneng as a young boy in the streets of Qwa-Qwa.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis young chap improved himself by buying a hat. He told members of Parliament, they don\u2019t pay him,\u201d Lekota said.<\/p>\n
He said this was not the freedom that they struggled for with Nelson Mandela.<\/p>\n
News24<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n SABC is looking for a new CEO<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Motsoeneng gets another salary hike<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n ANC orders SABC to \u2018rescind\u2019 Motsoeneng appointment<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\nMore on the SABC<\/h3>\n